Bristlecone Pine

Sun Exposure: Full sun, intolerant of shade

Origin: USA (Arizona, New Mexico) for the type, California, Utah, Nevada for the Intermountain Bristlecone Pine, sometimes considered a different species: Pinus longaeva. Both types grow on dry rock slopes.

Growth Habits: Small to medium-sized evergreen conifer, very slowly up to 15 to 30 feet tall (5-9 m), 10 to 15 feet spread (3-4.5 m); dark green needles in 5s, 0.8 to 1.6 inches long (2-4 cm), abundant white specks of resin on the needles

Watering Needs: Little to very little water, does not like air pollution, likes well-drained soils

Propagation: Seeds, slow-growing cuttings from very young trees.

'Sherwood Compact' - is a dense dwarf cultivar with shorter needles.

Fruiting Habits:
Mature female cones are reddish. They measure 3 to 3.5 inches long (7.5-9 cm) when they ripen in mid-September, they take 2 years to mature.

Culture:
The Bristlecone Pine can be used as a container plant for many years, thanks to its extremely slow growth rate.
The trees don't like to be transplanted, and they should be put in their definitive locations when they are 2 to 3 feet tall (60-90 cm), at most.